


An Abuelo’s Love

by PlanetXiomara



Category: Coco(2017) - Fandom
Genre: Coco is a sweetheart, F/F, F/M, Héctor is #1 dad, Imelda is a protective abuela, Julio honestly just wants to know what’s going on, Victoria has a love life, and the worlds greatest grandpa
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-06-08
Packaged: 2019-04-04 10:50:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14018673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PlanetXiomara/pseuds/PlanetXiomara
Summary: When it’s time for Victoria to tell her family about her secret romance, she’s not quite sure how.Luckily for her, Héctor is more than happy to help.





	1. Abuelo?

Héctor loves his granddaughter, and when she sets down his plate of breakfast in front of him, and lovingly tells him “Buenos dias abuelo”, he practically melts in his chair.

Victoria can be so sweet and gentle when she's not threatening to kill him, he briefly wonders why she never married.

When he asks, she glares with enough hatred that he's sure the flowers behind him wilt.

"I don't like _men_." She sneers, and for some stupid reason (fear, probably) he nods nervously and says "yeah me neither!"

She raises an eyebrow at that one, but otherwise lets the subject die.

He shoves eggs in his face to avoid saying anything equally as stupid.  
-

The next time the topic comes up, its in the form of Tía Rosita.

“Oh Victoria, but he is such a nice man!”

Héctor watches, (from a safe distance) as Rosita follows Victoria around the house, constantly broaching the subject of why Victoria wasn’t dating what’s-his-face. Victoria scowles, and with every question grows more and more upset, curling her fists tightly as if she were about to pop.

“I don’t want him Tía.” Victoria tells her coldly “And I doubt I ever will.”

Rosita pouts. “But he would be perfect for you! And you both like books!”

“So does half the population.”

The scene reminds him of Imelda’s mother, who used to badger her around each day trying to get her daughter to marry. Eventually, Imelda got around to bringing him home, and after that, her mother literally begged her to marry- “anyone else! Please mi vida, pick anyone else!”

But, in the end, Imelda choose him, and her mother sobbed on their wedding day with what Héctor likes to pretend were tears of joy rather than disappointment.

“He’s a good man! And he is very smart and-“

“And he’s not my type.”

“But what is your type?”

“Men who stay far away from me.”

Hector snorts and Rosita sighs. Victoria was so much like his wife, she could scare of any man Rosita brought home just by glaring at them. Which he had to admit, was rather funny to see.

“Fine, but if you change your mind-!”

Victoria waves a hand. “Yes yes I know, I know where to find you.”

Rosita sighs and huddles away, while Héctor smiles. What’s-his-face probably wasn’t good enough for his granddaughter anyway. “Rosita is quite the matchmaker eh me amor?” He hums, picking up his guitar.

“Si” she answers. “But her matches are not for me.”

“Not interested in romance?”

Victoria snorts, and moves to pick a book from her shelf. He doesn’t notice it when she hesitates, pausing halfway. “...abuelo?”

“Si me vida?” He smiles to himself, strumming on his guitar,

“Can you...keep a secret?”

He hums. “Anything you say, I can keep.”

“Well...alright.”

Héctor was quite ready for her “secret”, for each time Imelda and her mother got in the same argument, Imelda would come and rant to him for hours on end about it. And since Victoria was much like Imelda she would most lik-

“I am in a relationship with someone already.”

He freezes, eyes popping wide open and his hands scratching all the wrong strings to make an awful hissing noise across his guitar.

He smiles nervously and glances up at Victoria. “Eh..a what?”

She instantly sighs. “I am sorry, it’s just I couldn’t tell anyone else. Everyone would just go crazy and...they’ve never seen me like this-”

“Like what?”

She states it like it’s obvious. “This emotional.”

Really, her face as hardly changed at all, save for a bit of softness, but for the ever stoic Victoria he supposes that’s emotional...a little.

“And I thought telling you would, make me feel better. And I suppose it did...” she shifts a bit. “So thank you, for that.”

He blinks. Quite frankly he wasn’t sure how he helped at all.

“And for not telling anyone.”

“Oh wait wait wait wait.” He stands up, shaking his hands. “ _Wait_.”

“You,” he points to Victoria. “Have a secret relationship, and you don’t want me,” he points to himself. “to tell anyone?”

She nods simply. “That’s right”

“ _Victoria_.” He warns, and gives Victoria his best arms crossed, sort of glaring, foot tapping, Papa-is-not-happy-with-you look, that he honestly hasn’t used in a hundred years. Victoria doesn’t seem at all swayed, but that’s fine, she’s intimated on the _inside_. (He hopes)

“Well it’s not permanent, I’ll tell them eventually.”

“And why don’t you tell them now?”

Victoria sighs, and adjusts her glasses. “I just can’t, I’m not ready.”

“You told me didn’t you?”

“That’s different, mi famila...they’ll never like...they won’t like them...because...”

A few hundred (equally horrible) scenarios pass threw Héctor’s head as to why his family wouldn’t like Victoria’s secret novio.

Maybe, he was a drug dealer, and the leader of a dangerous cartel. Maybe, he was the leader of a big biker gang that terrorized old people and small puppies! Or worse, what if it was Ernesto de la Cruz, come back from under that bell to prey on his precious Victoria! Héctor shutters at the thought.

“Because...I’m dating a musician.”

_Oh_

Truthfully, it had been a while since the music ban had been lifted, but listing to music and your granddaughter dating a musician were two widely different things. Not to mention, Imelda was protective enough of Victoria already...

”This...musican-”

”Chel.”

” _Chel_.” He corrects, sounding out the name on his tongue. He doesn’t remember any musicians named Chel, but he supposes whoever this Chel was, he could be new.

Or he could be a big fat liar that lied to Victoria about being a muscian for...whatever the reason. The point was, he wasn’t to trusting of this Chel figure. Who could still very well be Ernesto de la Cruz in a trench coat.

“Does this... _Chel_ , have a job?”

Victoria blinks. “Well...yes, as a librarian, but also a mariachi.”

”And eh...does he have a...” he pauses, thinking of something else to ask. “Ehhh, what instrument does he play?”

Victroia raises an eyebrow. “The clarinet? And the guitar. And a trumpet, I think.”

“I see.” Héctor nods, “So do you think...this Chel, is a good man?”

“Abuelo.” Victoria tells him like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “Chel is a woman.”

Héctor finds he needs to take a seat.


	2. Welcome back

Much to her surprise, Coco Rivera actually quite enjoys being dead

Life, as nice as it was, had gotten lonely. She had missed her dead relatives, and was now more than happy at the prospect of seeing them again. Not to mention, she could finally walk on her own two feet without a wheelchair! She couldn’t wait to run up and take all of them in her arms.

Just as soon as she finishes this pesky paper work that is. 

She taps her pencil on the table, looking over the many questions laid in front of her. Let’s see, cause of death _?_  She smiles, and scribbles “old age” on the paper. She had died peacefully in her sleep, and was more than happy with that outcome.

 _Age of death?_ “Ninety-nine.”

 _Location of death?_ “Santa Cecilia. Oaxaca, Mexico.”

 _Date of death?_ “September 27, 2018.”

She glances down the the next section and reads, “Deceased Relatives. Please fill out the next section to the best of your abilities, if you have no deceased relatives, then ask a clerk for assistance.” She blinks. Quite honestly she had no idea death was so well organized. 

_Deceased great-great-grandparents?_

_Deceased great-grandparents?_

_Deceased grandparents?_

She pauses, before scribbling down “N/A”

 _Deceased parents?_ “Imelda and Héctor Rivera.”

 _Deceased spouse?_ “Julio Rivera”

 _Deceased aunt/uncles?_ “Oscar and Felipe Rivera”

She’s pauses at the next section, feeling the familiar pang in her heart at the section labeled: _Deceased children_. She sighs, and carefully prints “Victoria Rivera” on the dotted line. It had been so long since she had seen her Victoria...

But! She would see her today!

The thought of finally seeing her daughter brought a smile to her face, and she quickly filed out the rest of the form. The quicker she was done, the quicker she could see her Victoria again! And see her Julio again and her Mamá and and Rosita and her uncles and even her Papá! Thanks to Miguel.

“Perdón señora.” She calls to the young woman- whom Coco assumed was the clerk- that sat behind the desk.

The woman looks up and smiles sweetly at her, in a way that only made Coco’s heart ache for Rosita. “What can I help you with señora?”

Coco smiles, and holds up the form. “I’ve finished it.”

”Oh!” The clerk hasitly shuffles out of her chair, and hurries over to her side. There were others in the room, all working on their own papers, who all look up in interest at the sudden noise.

“It’s so nice to help you miss Rivera.” The young clerk- who was a bit to young to be dead, in Coco’s opinion-  says as she rounds Coco’s seat. “you just don’t know the type of trouble your Papá gets into here! He’s a real celebrity!” She exclaims, talking a mile per minute. “and oh we all love him becuase oh those costumes were so funny you should have seen what he did to try to cross that bridge and its wonderful because he’ll be just so happy to see you and-“

She pauses, looking over a specific area.

“Ehm, Señora Rivera?”

Coco glances upward. “Sí?”

She pointes to a blank line on the paper. “You forgot this.”

Coco blinks, and looks down to the empty space, which says _*Please include any deceased spouses your son or daughter may have. (A.k.a any deceased son or daughter in-laws.)._ Oh. Well, that wasn’t something she _could_ fill out. 

She smiles at the clerk . “Sorry señora, My yerno is alive.”

“No!” The clerk laughs. “I meant your  _dead_ one. The file said you had one here.”

Coco stares.

The clerk shakes her head and says “Give me a moment.”, before walking over to her desk, opening a drawer, and pulling out a large stack of papers. Coco watches as she dumps the heavy stack on her desk and shifts through it for a moment, before pulling out a specific sheet of paper and walking back to the desk. 

“Now, see here ” She says, and holds up the piece of paper for Coco to read. “It says: Victoria Rivera, born in 1940, married in 2016 to Chel Xo-Xua-“ she squintes at the paper. “Zo-Xol...díos mio how do you pronounce this? Well married to Chel..whatever this name is.”

Coco blinks, barely able to process the information. How on earth could her daughter have gotten married in 2016? Victoria had died in 1981!

“Died in 198- _oh_.” The clerk pauses, before turning sheepishly to Coco. “Now I see the problema. I guess she must have gotten married _after_ her death.”

Coco felt her eyes widen. _Married?_ After death?Victoria?

That would mean Victoria...Victoria must have...

Victoria. _Her_ Victoria. In love!

Oh her little _niñita_!

Coco smiled to herself. Thinking about what a sight it must have been to see a love struck Victoria- oh her daughter would have looked just so pretty in a wedding dress!

And just who was the groom? Who was this man, brave enough to court her precious Victoria? (The whole situation was something out of a telenovela!) She quickly scanned her eyes over the document, looking for any hint as to who was this mysterious man was, the man who had somehow managed to capture her most serious daughter’s heart.

Let’s see,  _Chel Xoletl,_ an odd name for a man, but she supposed she shouldn’t judge. _Age: 24._ _Profession: Mariachi. Location: Arts District. Gender-_

_Wait.._

Coco read over the line again. The single line that just didn’t make any sense. How could-no, it was nearly impossible, becuase Victoria had never... she never had...she had never showed any interest in... 

Victoria was married...to a  _mariachi?!_

- 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah Coco, you watch to many telenovelas.
> 
> (Also, I have a tumblr. It’s the same as here: PlanetXiomara. It’s dead (I normally just us it to lurk) but if you maybe wanna chat or ask questions I’m there!
> 
> Link: http://planetxiomara.tumblr.com/


End file.
